


Transitions

by grammaticallywrong



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Drabble, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-15
Updated: 2020-10-15
Packaged: 2021-03-08 19:09:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,851
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27021796
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/grammaticallywrong/pseuds/grammaticallywrong
Summary: Baekhyun, the prince of winter, ruled over an empty land and so he was surprised to see a strange man sitting under the wilting acacia tree.
Relationships: Byun Baekhyun/Park Chanyeol
Comments: 2
Kudos: 25





	Transitions

**Author's Note:**

> Based off this wonderful photoset: https://twitter.com/soloeyists/status/1316534917698781185?s=20

Baekhyun felt like an intruder the first time he saw _him_.

Baekhyun was strolling through his garden, long slender fingers caressing the dying branches that were slowly breaking, signalling the end of another season and the beginning of another one. 

Autumn was not his favorite. It was a slow descent into the eventual numbness that was winter. An almost physical torture that prepares your body for the biting winds of winter, the freezing of life and the bone-chilling claim of death. 

Autumn, Baekhyun thought, is mocking. It dangles the last few minutes of Earth’s life before it eventually takes its breath away and leaves the heart claimed by the winter god.

He was destined to rule over that which claims life, an immortality that he never truly wanted but was given as a punishment.

Thousands and thousands of years had Baekhyun lived, looking over the land covered in white. Beautiful, yet devoid of life. Nothing lives here. Not anymore.

He sleeps once his reign is finished, and awakens only when it is time to stake his claim again. 

Today, however, was different.

Baekhyun rubbed his eyes, unsure if what he was seeing was not merely a hallucination from years of loneliness.

A man was sitting cross legged on a blanket, wearing nothing but a thin looking tunic and pants that would not protect the wearer from the elements. 

Baekhyun was rooted in his spot. He hasn’t seen another person in his kingdom for hundreds of years. Many have tried to visit him but the same men and women failed due to the long and arduous trek. 

Most of them travel to this area during this time to see the beauty that was his kingdom. Acres upon acres of land blanketed by beautiful white snow, creatures that can only survive in the low temperatures, and a crystal castle that only appears once it is his time to rule again. 

And so Baekhyun was stunned at the presence of another man.

Baekhyun tried not to make any noise as he approached the other, making sure to step on soft snow that would muffle the sound of his footsteps, praying to the spirits that his robes would not rustle on the leaves that were littered on the white blanket.

A crunch. Baekhyun winced as he mistakenly stepped on a thin branch that snapped under his weight.

Immediately, the man turned around, slowly, as if he was expecting his arrival.

Warm, is what Baekhyun thought, once he laid his eyes on the man in front of him. 

Warm even as the soft brown tendrils of the stranger’s hair were being caressed by the cold-biting wind. Warm, as his brown doe-shaped eyes slowly blink away the dryness he must be experiencing. Warm, as the stranger’s mouth slowly, but beautifully, forms a gentle smile that could only take Baekhyun’s breath away, like the fog that formed as he slowly exhaled his surprise.

Baekhyun thought that he was the only one that can lay claim on all that is living but he seems to be mistaken. 

“Hello,” the stranger softly said as he tilted his head, as if he too was confused at Baekhyun’s sudden confusion. Even his voice was warm as the low timbers resonated deep into Baekhyun’s bones, almost as if he was melting.

“Hi,” Baekhyun responded breathlessly.   
  


“Fancy meeting you here.” 

“Are you not cold?” Baekhyun blurted, suddenly unclasping his thick robes to offer to the strange man who, surprisingly, did not seem to be affected by the harsh winds of winter.

A loud boisterous laugh stopped him midway.

“Do you not know who I am?” The stranger asked. Baekhyun should feel offended at the question but the tone he used was not mocking. In fact, it sounded as if he was teasing. 

Sure enough, the twinkle in the stranger’s eyes made it all clear that he was being friendly. Baekhyun felt his cheeks heat at the sudden embarrassment. 

“I rarely go outside of my castle when it is not yet my time.” 

"Yet you are here," The stranger hummed in response, as if that short explanation was enough. The stranger continued to stare at him though and Baekhyun felt unnerved. 

“Here,” Baekhyun extended his arm, offering his thick coat. Baekhyun swallowed as the stranger’s eyes seemed to form into crescents the more his smile stretched across his face. It reminded him of the moon, big and bright and illuminating his cold, lonely nights. 

“Thank you, but there is truly no need. I will wear it in gratitude, of course.” The stranger huffed a short laugh. Baekhyun held his breath once he saw the stranger throw the coat over his back and close the clasp by his chest. 

“Well, I need to be on my way then.” 

Baekhyun felt a pang of disappointment. 

“Will I see you again tomorrow, dear Prince?” The stranger asked as he slowly stood up. He was taller than Baekhyun would have imagined. Taller, broader, yet somehow softer, warmer, as if the stranger’s long limbs can offer him a lifetime of warmth should he allow himself to be wrapped around them. 

At a loss for words, Baekhyun can only offer a nod. Heart beating erratically at his newfound companion. Maybe this winter would not be as lonely after all. 

  
  


\---

  
  


It was almost late in the afternoon the next day when Baekhyun saw him again. This time sitting under the wilting, dying acacia tree close to the edge of his garden. 

“Hello again, dear Prince,” The warm voice greeted him.

“May I know your name?” Baekhyun asked and this seemed to bring a chuckle out of the other person. The stranger laughed a lot, he observed. He laughed through his eyes, his smiles, in his huffs and chuckles, and the way his shoulder would softly shake and Baekhyun felt _warm_.

“Chanyeol. You may call me Chanyeol.” 

Chanyeol, Baekhyun mouthed. The name rolling off his tongue like honey, name sweet and Baekhyun already felt like a bee with the way his body felt like buzzing from the high he was experiencing. 

“Yes, that is my name.” Chanyeol smiled as he tilted his head at him. Baekhyun must have said his name out loud. 

“They call me Baekhyun,” he offered. And he felt heat rise to his cheeks at the way Chanyeol gazed at him. The intensity makes him take shallow breaths, exhales forming tendrils of fog revealing the way his heart is trying to keep up with what he is feeling.

“I am aware, dear Prince.”

Oh. 

“How come I have never seen you before, Chanyeol?” Baekhyun cleared his throat to regain his composure. 

“As you said, you rarely get out of the castle until it is time.” 

Baekhyun flushed. Yes, he did say that, didn’t he? 

“But I also mostly stay within the boundaries of my lovely village. I was bored yesterday and I thought I would visit you.” 

Baekhyun blinked. 

How strange. A man from another village visiting his lonely kingdom. 

While his kingdom was indeed a beautiful sight during the winter, it was just a barren piece of land on any other days. Dry, dark, empty. Nothing was to be said about this land unless it was his time to rise. 

People rarely go here during the other seasons, preferring to visit the other livelier kingdoms of Spring, Summer, and Autumn. Their respective lands continue to bear life even if seasons come and go. 

His kingdom, however. He was cursed with immortality to experience only the way the cold tendrils of winter grasp his heart and to see only the barrenness of his land. 

Yet somehow… 

“It is nice here,” Chanyeol commented, interrupting his thoughts. He was sitting on his blanket again where Baekhyun joined him earlier. 

Baekhyun snorted, unbecoming of the prince Chanyeol seemed to think of him. What is a prince without people to rule after all. 

“Don’t lie. There is nothing here.” Baekhyun said as he placed his hands on his knees. “It is dry and empty on the days where I am asleep. And I know that because the snow fairies tell me whenever they come to say goodnight.”

“Snow fairies, huh.” Chanyeol’s eyes glittered in amusement. 

“Yes. And it is all white! No other color! Even at night when the Moon comes up to say hello, the kingdom looks monotonous even under the illumination of the Moon goddess.” Baekhyun pouted as he saw Chanyeol lean his elbow on his knees as if egging him to continue with his rant.

“And?” Chanyeol tilted his head. “What else?”

“And the lake ripples only when the fly fish come up to play. Which is not often! So sometimes I just sit by the edge of the lake waiting for nothing to come.” 

“Maybe I should join you, then. To keep you company.” Chanyeol looked at him expectedly and Baekhyun almost felt his neck snap at how fast he turned his neck to look at the other person. 

“It is too cold at night. You will not survive.” Baekhyun murmured, his fingers fiddling with the loose threads of his garment. 

“You underestimate me, Prince.” 

And so Baekhyun accepted his offer.

  
  


\---

  
  


But Chanyeol never stays long. Only a few moments after the sun has set, saying he has to go back to his village. And Baekhyun understood, he can only endure the cold for so long even if he wears Baekhyun’s coat to keep him warm. 

Nonetheless Baekhyun was happy. He found a friend, a person whom he can talk about his days and nights with. Someone who he can converse with, laugh with, play with. Baekhyun felt _whole_. 

Even if both of them can only meet at certain times of the day.

“You look livelier, my prince,” Byul-i said as she placed his white crown on top of his head, her tiny wings fluttering in happiness as she observed the flush that adorned the tip of his ears.

“Thank you, Byul-i. It’s because I have a new friend.” He commented as a snow elf entered his chambers, bringing to him a thicker coat. The days are getting shorter and the evenings longer which could mean that autumn is almost officially over, and winter will rise again. 

“The handsome man. Is that correct?” She laid her tiny fragile body on top of his vanity, legs swinging back and forth, wings slowly folding in itself. 

Baekhyun bit his lips as he tried to stop the bashful smile that slowly bloomed on his face.

“Yes, the handsome man.”

  
  


\---

  
  


Baekhyun grew fond of Chanyeol with each day they were together. Who wouldn’t be with the way Chanyeol’s soft smiles seem to wrap a blanket of warmth around him, with the way his touch seem to send sparks of excitement through his body, and the way his laughs seem to melt his loneliness that creep up every time the sun sets and the taller man turns to go.

“I wish you can stay longer,” Baekhyun murmured, as he drew shapes on the snow covered land. They were on the same spot again today, under the acacia tree that Baekhyun now views as a symbol of his friendship with the taller man. 

“Do you know the language of the flowers, dear Prince?” Chanyeol suddenly digressed, his head turned to him in genuine curiosity. 

Baekhyun shook his head. Flowers never grew here, not when he’s awake. The environment was not conducive to the growth of flora, wind too biting, soil perpetually covered in snow. When Baekhyun was asleep however, he didn't care to know. 

Chanyeol hummed in response.

“It is almost truly winter soon, isn’t it?” Chanyeol said as he turned his body to him. Baekhyun nodded his head as he continued to draw circles on the snow covered land.

It is almost truly winter, which means that the days will be shorter, the night will be longer, thus colder. Baekhyun hopes Chanyeol can stay but he knows the latter cannot. It is too cold, too dry, and he has to go back to his village but he wished they could still see each other during the days when the sun is high enough to warm all that it touches.

He hopes he can be with Chanyeol for a long time, even when Baekhyun is asleep during the reigns of the other kingdoms, he hopes he still sees him in his dreams. 

“We might not see each other for a long time,” Chanyeol said and Baekhyun felt his world stop. He didn’t think it could get any colder than the longest nights of winter, but alas. 

“What - what do you mean?” Baekhyun’s voice shook, his hands clenched around the fabric of his thick coat. Chanyeol was still wearing the one he gave him the first time they met and Baekhyun felt adoration bloom in his chest every time he saw the other man wrapped around the coat that smelled just like Baekhyun. 

“Winter is almost here and I must go to sleep, dear Prince.” Baekhyun felt large hands cover his own and only then did Baekhyun realize who Chanyeol truly was. 

“You’re the harbinger of Autumn,” Baekhyun whispered. 

“Yes, and so I must go so you can reign again.” 

Baekhyun thought it was ironic how the time he felt most alive was moments before the realization that he also has to let go.

Autumn truly was not his most favorite. It only mocks and dangles life in front of you before it turns its head and leaves.

But Baekhyun didn’t think Chanyeol was malicious. In fact, he was the most kind, the most genuine, and the warmest amongst every other being he’s met. 

He felt fingers caress his cheeks and it was only then he noticed that tears had trailed down his cheeks.

Baekhyun took a shaky breath.

“We will meet again, don’t worry.” And the smile adorning Chanyeol’s face looked so horribly wrong. It looked sad and dejected and all things that Chanyeol should not be. He should be happy, he will be resting soon in preparation for the next Autumn solstice. 

Baekhyun placed his hands on top of Chanyeol’s that was now resting against his jaw. 

Slowly, Baekhyun felt gentle lips press against his and he thought his heart might shatter into million pieces. 

It is not a farewell, Baekhyun reminded himself. They will see each other soon.

“I will leave you a gift, my Prince.” Chanyeol said softly against his lips. “So you will not forget me during my slumber.” 

They separated and Baekhyun once again saw the twinkle in his eyes. Baekhyun tilted his head in curiosity. 

“Close your eyes,” Chanyeol said as he held both of Baekhyun’s hands, his large calloused hands covering his soft, slender ones and Baekhyun had never felt so full in his life.

Baekhyun did as he was told and closed his eyes.

He could feel the wind around him change. The sound of soft leaves rustling, and the sweet scent of life assaulting his senses. 

“You can open your eyes now,” Baekhyun jumped as he felt, rather than heard, Chanyeol whisper against his ears. 

Baekhyun opened his eyes and felt his breath hitch in shock.

His once empty garden was now filled with various kinds of flowers. Some were fully bloomed, some were still small buds, but flowers nonetheless.

“How-- ?”

“Madame Spring taught me a bit of magic here and there,” Chanyeol winked. He laughed when Baekhyun hit him on his chest. 

“You and I are the same, Baekhyun.” Chanyeol said as he moved to wrap his arms around his shoulder. Baekhyun leaned against him as his eyes roamed around his now blooming garden. “Life slowly wilts before our very eyes so we can only do so much before it disappears. Fortunately for us, life also learned to adapt to the changes our seasons bring.”

Chanyeol stood up and he pulled Baekhyun up along with him.

“I am giving you flowers that thrive in the winter so you will always think of me when you see your lovely garden.” Chanyeol turned to give him the brightest of smiles and if Baekhyun thought the Moon goddess was the most luminous against the darkness of the night, she had nothing against the smile that warmed up Baekhyun’s cold heart. 

“Primrose, pansies, winter jasmine, winter honeysuckle, and much, much more! You can name them too if you want and have your snowy elven friends help you take care of them.” Chanyeol gestured around his garden, childlike pride adorning his face. 

Baekhyun felt like he could float with the way fondness ballooned in his chest. He turned to Chanyeol to give him his version of a smile - boxy, full of teeth, but nonetheless genuine it makes his cheeks hurt. Chanyeol laughed and leaned down to give him another kiss. 

Baekhyun giggled as he wrapped his arms around Chanyeol and he felt the taller deity reciprocate. 

“Thank you, Chanyeol. I will see you again soon.” Baekhyun murmured against Chanyeol’s chest.

Baekhyun felt the arms around him tighten their hold and he thought he could go through this year’s winter warmed by all the love he received from the Autumn diety. 

  
  
  
  


**END.**

**Author's Note:**

> According to google, the flowers Chanyeol mentioned can survive the winter and these are what each of them represent:
> 
> Primrose - young love  
> Pansies - loving feelings,  
> Jasmines - love, beauty, sensuality,  
> Honeysuckle - happiness
> 
> Also! Did you know that acacia trees are thought to be the tree of life?
> 
> Hope you enjoyed this short, un-beta-ed word-vomit!


End file.
